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Penn State hits another quarterback recruitment roadblock

Rivals Steve Wiltfong projects a Big Ten school to land four-star quarterback, but it's not Penn State.
BySydney Ciano|
Hingham's Peter Bourque, of Tabor Academy, throws the ball at the M2 QB Academy's seventh annual Showdown Camp at Bryant University
Hingham's Peter Bourque, of Tabor Academy, throws the ball at the M2 QB Academy's seventh annual Showdown Camp at Bryant University | Jason Snow / The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State football hasn't been in the best position with quarterback recruitment since class of 2026 Peyton Falzone flipped his commitment at the end of June.

Since then, head coach James Franklin couldn't secure a second rising senior passer and had to shift his focus to the class of 2027. About a month after Falzone's unfavorable decision against the Nittany Lions, four-star Teddy Jarrard committed to Notre Dame over Penn State. Shifting gears again, the staff put itself in a position to be a frontrunner in four-star Peter Bourque's decision.

Rivals' Steve Wiltfong, though, doesn't think it's enough to land the four-star's commitment.

Steve Wiltfong projects class of 2027 QB Peter Bourque will commit to Michigan

Wiltfong logged his prediction on Saturday, Aug. 9. Penn State is in a lot of Big Ten battles for class of 2027 recruits, and Bourque is no different. His prediction has the rising junior committing to Michigan.

Bourque is the 86th overall recruit from the class, the No. 7 quarterback, and No. 1 prospect from Massachusetts. Rivals has the Wolverines at a 94.2 percent chance of landing the Hingham, Mass. native with the Nittany Lions in second with a mere 2.7 percent chance.

In 2024, he threw for 1,737 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore with three interceptions. He added an additional 317 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns. After reclassifying and staying back a year, according to 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins, Bourque will start his collegiate career with a little more maturity, growth, and better decision-making.

"As a program Michigan is one of few schools that can compete for National Championships, develop player for football and the real world, and have their players leave with a world class degree," Bourque reportedly said.

On the flip side, while 247Sports has Michigan as one of his top schools, the Crystal Ball® Predictions are 100 percent in favor of Penn State. Given it's lack of success in quarterback recruitment as of lately, securing an elite passer that can also cause havoc in the run game will give the Nittany Lions the depth they need a year removed from Drew Allar's departure.

Bourque made unofficial visits to Happy Valley on Nov. 30, 2024 and Jan. 26. He visited Ann Arbor on an unofficial visit on March 14 when he received his offer and visited the campus again in June. Nothing is official until Bourque announces his decision, but only time will tell if the Northeast advantage swing him back over to Penn State.

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